July Mountain wildfire crosses Highway 5

The July Mountain wildfire has now crossed Highway 5 where it's burning south of the Coquihalla Summit, southwest of Kamloops.

The B.C. Wildfire Service is sending two helicopters to July Mountain to suppress the blaze, along with the 16 firefighters and 4 heavy equipment units at the scene on Aug. 6.

The highway remains open to travelers, according to DriveBC, but drivers cannot stop and are urged to maintain awareness as the wildfire is highly visible along Highway 5.

It's expected to have grown over 2,000 hectares, which was the most recent estimate, but the wildfire service has not yet surveyed an updated size since last night's growth.

Fire guards have been established to protect nearby Murray Lake, but work will continue on the northeast corner on Friday.

While ground crews work to maintain a perimeter near Murray Lake, helicopters are responding to the excursion that crossed the highway.

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